When it comes to Spain’s most wanted wines, there’s really only two regions, one grape and one style of wine worth thinking about.
© Shutterstock | Few things go better with Spanish tapas than a glass of the country’s red wine.
As illustrated by our most recently run story on world’s most-wanted Australian wines, an excellent glass of red seems to be what much of the world largely wants, with few leaning towards les blancs.
The 10 most wanted wines from Napa, for example, are all either Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux blends. Other than New Zealand, Germany and parts of the UK, the rest of the world is firmly entrenched in its love affair with red wine, and Spain is no different, its most wanted wines a veritable ocean of Tempranillo.
Not only are Spain’s most wanted a sea of red, but they are also largely produced by a few big names, with four producers having at least two wines each on the list.
Please bear in mind that all the following wines’ global average retail prices (GARPs) are in US dollars.
First up is Vega Sicilia – almost inevitably – with the Unico Gran Reserva. Vega Sicilia has long been considered one of Spain’s greatest producers – some argue the greatest – and is the ruby-red jewel in Ribera del Duero’s crown.
The estate has been making wine since 1864, with the current wine styles – largely focused on Tempranillo – dating back to the 1910s. However, quality has only truly become consistent since the Alvarez family took ownership in 1982, turning the winery into the Spanish success story it is today.
Made from 35-year-old vines, the Unico Gran Reserva is pure Tempranillo – or Tinto Fino – but for a hint of Cabernet Sauvignon. It consistently wins over the critics with a current aggregated score of 95 points. Pricewise, it currently comes in at an average of $507, while back 10 years ago it came in at $389.
Number two is another Spanish stalwart, Pingus by Dominio de Pingus. Another of the Ribera del Duero’s rockstar producers, Dominio de Pingus was first made in 1995 – founded by Danish enologist Peter Sisseck – and, after receiving rave reviews from Robert Parker, the wine rapidly flew to cult status.
The Tempranillo is largely produced from old vines with an average age of 65 years, the wine is then fermented and then aged in oak barriques with production limited. Its aggregated critic score is a unicorn-rare 97 points – but it has a price tage to match, coming in at $1030. Back in 2015, it came in at $816.
Three is a second Tempranillo from Vega Sicilia, this time their Tinto Valbuena 5. Considered their purest expression of Tempranillo, although it sometimes has the addition of Merlot, the wine spends five years in both oak and bottle.
The resulting wine has an aggregated score of 94 points and a price which, compared to the last two, seems very reasonable at $203, having risen from 2015’s $122.
Number four is the Vina Tondonia Reserva, the first wine from R. Lopez de Heredia. Famed for its traditional Rioja, the estate’s wines are made instantly recognizable by their sepia cursive labels.
Founded in 1877, the estate has always favored traditional winemaking practices, building its reputation predominantly on Tempranillo produced from the Tondonia vineyard.
The Vina Tondonia Reserva is one such reputation-cementing wine, having an aggregated score of 93 points, along with the excellent price of $57, back in 2015 it was a mere $35.
© lakisha beecham / Shutterstock.com | The patchwork vineyards of La Rioja have a dramatic beauty all of their own.
Number five is a rioja from Marqués de Murrieta, another of the region’s famed estates. Again Marqués de Murrieta focuses on a more traditional style of winemaking, as exemplified by its flagship Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial that makes this list.
The estate was founded in 1852 by Luciano de Murrieta, and is currently owned by the Cebrián-Sagarriga family who have had custody since 1983. Their Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial is made from a single vineyard plot and is aged for 30 months in American oak barriques.
Immediately identifiable by its cheery gold-and-red-lettered label, the Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial is only made in the best years, this predominantly Tempranillo blend has a critic rating of 93 points, and a price point of $244, a significant rise from 2015’s $76.
Six is the Gran Reserva 904 by La Rioja Alta S.A., one of finest estates from its namesake region. Founded in La Rioja Alta in 1890 by five Riojan and Basque families, it has built a reputation for its spicy but classic Gran Reserva Riojas and Tempranillos.
Their Gran Reserva 904 – formerly known as Reserva 1904 – is the winery’s second wine. Named after the date the Ardanza winery joined La Rioja Alta, the wine is largely Tempranillo which then spends four years in oak.
The wine has scored consistently well with the critics, garnering an aggregated 93 points, and comes in at a not unreasonable $91. Back in 2015, it hovered around $45.
Number seven is a third wine from Vega Sicila, this time their Alión. The Alión is pure Tempranillo aged between 12 to 14 months in new French oak to create a fresh, elegant and youthful style of wine.
With a critic score of 93 points and a price point of $115 – having risen from 2015’s $65 – this wine represents reasonably good value especially when compared to its Vega Sicilia siblings.
Number eight is a second offering from R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia with their flagship wine, the Gran Reserva. Known for its dry vanilla-infused style, it is largely made up of Tempranillo bolstered by Garnacha, Carignan – or Mazuelo – and Graciano.
Loved by the critics, it has an aggregated score of 93 points and a fairly restrained pric-point of $286, back in 2015 it was $176.
Nine is the Flor de Pingus by Dominio de Pingus, the estate’s junior wine, more youthful in style, the wine is made from 16 different vineyard lots and is far more abundant than its big brother.
However, it’s a still a popular kid, getting 93 points from the critics, and is also far more affordable at $120, having risen slightly from 2015’s $97.
Tenth is a last hurrah from La Rioja Alta S.A. with their Viña Ardanza Reserva. Only made in particularly good vintages, the Viña Ardanza is a blend between Garnacha and Tempranillo, with Garnacha accounting for around twenty percent of the blend.
With a critic rating of 92 points, this wine comes in at an easy breezy $40, up from 2015’s steal of $29.
The wild price swings from the wallet-friendly $40 to the Napa-esque $1030 is perhaps the only factor that separates a largely homogenous list. As it’s clear that when it comes to Spain’s most wanted wines, Ribera del Duero and Rioja along with teacher’s pet Tempranillo are long going to continue to paint the town red.
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